Dine Out: He's over the moon about Mezza Luna's Italian cuisine

The Mezza Luna restaurant in Buzzards Bay has been a staple of the Cape Cod dining scene for more than 75 years, but for some reason, I had yet to visit in my more than 20 years of living in Wareham. My wife Jennifer, who has lived in the area for even longer, also had never dined there. But our 9-year-old son Adam, who visited Mezza Luna with his friend's family a few months ago, told us we were missing something special.

The Mezza Luna restaurant in Buzzards Bay has been a staple of the Cape Cod dining scene for more than 75 years, but for some reason, I had yet to visit in my more than 20 years of living in Wareham. My wife Jennifer, who has lived in the area for even longer, also had never dined there. But our 9-year-old son Adam, who visited Mezza Luna with his friend's family a few months ago, told us we were missing something special.

So this past Sunday evening, we made the short drive from our home to Buzzards Bay to visit one of the few local institutions left where we hadn't dined. It wasn't that busy, and we were seated right away at a cozy table.

Mezza Luna was rebuilt after a fire decimated the property in October 2007. By April 2009 they were back in business, bigger and better than ever. The restaurant now features three luxurious dining rooms that can accommodate up to 250 people, as well as function rooms and a wall-length bar. The deep burgundy tones of the dining room and the Frank Sinatra music playing over the speakers gave the dining room the perfect feel.

Our server began our evening well; she was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu and more than happy to offer some light conversation and advice on what to order. However, as our meal went on, things went downhill. We only saw her when a course was arriving, and our water glasses sat empty way too long for a hot summer evening (although the restaurant was air conditioned). I'm just going to guess it was an "off" night for her, as she probably was wrapping up a frazzled holiday weekend as tourists descended upon the Cape, and I'm betting Mezza Luna is a popular destination.

While we looked over the menu, she brought us a generous basket of Nona's homemade bread, baked fresh daily on the premises with the same recipe Speranza "Nona" Cubellis had been using since Mezza Luna began as a fruit stand in the same spot back in 1937. It came with a dish full of butter pats, but we preferred drizzling it with olive oil from the bottle on the table (the bread can also be purchased to take home at $5 per loaf, and is well worth it).

To begin, we started with an antipasto ($8). We had ordered a $12 version that was supposed to be for two, but our server accidentally brought the single version. It still turned out to be enough for Jennifer and I to share while Adam munched on an order of garlic bread ($4), made with Nona's bread. The antipasto featured a decent amount of greens topped with two rolled-up portions of salami and provolone, along with a small amount of prosciutto, artichoke hearts, onions and roasted red peppers. There were plenty of kalamata and black olives, a few chunks of fresh mozzarella and a hard-boiled egg cut in half.

We also shared an order of mussels ($12), for which the menu proclaimed Mezza Luna is famous — and I believe it. The steamed Prince Edward Island mussels tasted fresh off the boat, and were bathed in a garlic and parmesan cream sauce that was absolutely incredible. These were simply the best mussels I've ever had, and I used plenty of the bread to sop up more of the sauce. My only complaint is that there were quite a few empty shells and ones that didn't open on the platter, something that should have been corrected in the kitchen.

The entrees my wife and I chose each came with a choice of soup or salad; since we were sharing the antipasto, we both opted for soup. I had an excellent cup of minestrone, featuring plenty of veggies and diced ham in a well-seasoned tomato stock, while Jennifer picked the clam chowder for an additional $2. It was very thick and creamy and chock-full of clams and potatoes.

Our main course arrived at just the right time. I could already see before it even arrived on the table that I'd made the right choice with the veal Al Capone ($23). Three generously sized sauteed veal medallions were topped with roasted red pepper slices as well as mozzarella and provolone cheeses, sitting upon a pile of my requested pasta (linguine, although I could have also picked spaghetti or ziti) that was finished off with a mushroom reduction.

The veal was so tender that I cut it with the side of my fork, and the flavors all blended so well together that I might have to rethink parmigiana as my favorite veal preparation. I complemented my meal with a glass of very excellent Jacob's Creek shiraz ($7.25) that arrived in a glass carafe to allow me to pace my pouring.

Jennifer chose the baked stuffed scallops ($24), and described them as perfectly cooked with an excellent scallop-and-crabmeat stuffing. Her starch choice, a baked potato, arrived on the same plate, while her vegetable, broccoli aglio e olio, came on a separate dish. It costs an extra $2 for "upgrading" from regular broccoli to the garlic-and-olive oil-enhanced version, but it's well worth it for garlic lovers.

Adam went with the chicken parmigiana from the children's menu ($9) after being assured by our server that it was a hearty portion (the boy was quite hungry that night). It turned out to be plenty, featuring a large chicken cutlet smothered in cheese along with a good amount of spaghetti and marinara sauce. The kids' meals range from $6 for a hot dog and fries to $10 for fried scallops, with most around the $8 to $9 mark.

Mezza Luna has a deep roster of all types of cuisine on its menu, in addition to all the traditional Italian fare. Their top seller is the veal or chicken parmigiana ($20 for veal, $19 for chicken), but they've got everything imaginable — including a tripe dinner for $18. Most entrees are between $15 and $23.

I'm told there's often a line out the door on Wednesday and Saturday nights, when they offer prime rib after 4 p.m. It is $25 for an 18-ounce cut, or you can get a 32-ounce version for $45. It's legendary around these parts.

We finished off our meal with some dessert — crème brulee for Jennifer and Adam to share and tiramisu for myself ($6 each). Both were a satisfactory end to a great meal. I also had a cup of coffee ($2.50) to complement the coffee flavors in my dessert.

Not including my wine and tip, our total came to $104.66. While Mezza Luna is indeed a family restaurant, it might be a little pricey for a family to visit on a frequent basis. But after taking so long to try it for the first time, we certainly will be back very soon. They might have only seen us once in the first 75 years, but they'll be seeing a lot more of us in the next 75.

Dine Out's reviewer visits restaurants unannounced and at his or her discretion. The Standard-Times pays for the meals reviewed. The reviews merely reflect one diner's experience. Ratings range from 1 to 5 stars.